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The period in which the events in The Iliad took place were different than the times of today Back then the most important aspect of life for a person was to be a hero and to be remembered Ones pride would come before everything else In the present day this concept would be thought of as illogical or foolish But that is how life was in that time- peoples beliefs were to be the death of them Pride was the downfall of all characters in Homers epic poem The Iliad Hectors fatal mistake was that he chose pride over his own well being in the battle with Achilles He could have taken safety within the walls of Troy or disappeared into a mass of his comrades but Hector chose to stand his ground and confront Achilles Ah for a young man all looks fine and noble if he goes down in warhe lies there deadbut whatever death lays bare all wounds are marks of glory If Hector had salvaged his pride and retreated to safety he would have lived to defend Troy Therefore the possibility arises that he could have stopped the onslaught of the Acheans altogether and won the war for the Trojans The result of Hectors pride was his death and the betrayal of his fellow warriors and friends Another person within the Iliad whose pride was the downfall of his character was Patroclus Patroclus was a great warrior friend and asset to the Achaeans But he made foolish choices on account of his pride For instance he chose to wear Achilles armor into battle when Achilles refused to fight This was only for his self-glorification Once you have beaten off the lethal fire quick come back to the ships-you must not battle Hector After going into battle brandishing the armor Patroclus becomes overzealous and places himself at the enemys disposal If Patroclus would have thought logically and not acted on pride

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